Tourtière du Lac Saint-Jean Authentic Recipe
Authentic Tourtière Recipe Quebec, Canada
- FILLING
- 500g (1.1 lbs) venison (or other game meat)
- 225g (8 oz) salt pork
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) potatoes
- 25g (1 oz) onions
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 ground clove
- 1 egg yolk
- salt and pepper
- PASTRY
- 450g (1 lb) flour
- 225g (8 oz) lard
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp yeast
- 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp) ice water
- 1/2 tsp of vinegar
- Combine the dry ingredients (flour with salt and yeast) and the wet ones (lard, egg, vinegar, and water). Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix until you form a dough. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in a plastic wrap and let cool in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
- Cut the venison, pork, and salt pork into cubes, transfer to a bowl, and season with spices, salt, and pepper. Cut the potatoes into cubes, but leave them unpeeled. Place them in a bowl and cover with water. Leave both bowls in the refrigerator overnight.
- Six hours before the meal, roll out 2/3 of the dough and place it in a rectangular mold (35 x 45 cm/14 x 18 inches).
- Combine the meat with the potatoes, adjust the seasoning, and transfer the mixture into the mold. Roll out the remaining dough and cover the mold.
- Use water to crimp the edges together and glaze the surface with a beaten egg yolk. Make a hole in the middle of the pie, about 5 cm/2-inch wide that will help let the steam out during baking.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 210°C/410°F for 30 minutes, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking for the next 5 hours at 150°C/300°F. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes to get the crust to brown. When done, turn off the heat, and leave the pie in the oven for one hour.
We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though.
Introduction & history
Tourtière is a spiced meat pie made with shortcrust pastry and a generously seasoned stuffing consisting of ground or cubed meat, onions, and potatoes. Each region has its own different version of the dish, each with its own special intricacies. Nevertheless, some basic steps must be followed when preparing any version of the dish. The dough for the pie is shortcrust pastry — lard is often recommended as shortening, resulting in an especially delicious and flaky pastry. The type of meat varies from pork and veal to wild game or even fish. Whether ground or cubed, the meat is sometimes pre-cooked before being baked in the pie, and the stuffing can be thickened with the addition of oatmeal or breadcrumbs. Once the stuffing has been prepared, it is wrapped in dough and baked in a casserole dish. The exception to this rule is the Acadian version of the pie, which is baked in small, individual pie pans.
